Class Response #2 (The Internet)

   Ah, the internet, where I spend 75% of my time. Before we talked about the internet all I really knew about it was that I spend too much time on it, procrastinating what I really should be doing. But, as always, Mr. Miller's lecture enlightened me to a whole new world of knowledge.
   Although the internet hasn't demassified any other forms of media yet, I believe it will start to soon, as we have seen its affect on other industries, regardless of demassification. Why pay for cable when you can stream all your favorite shows? (either legally, using things such as Netflix and Hula, or illegally). Why pay for music when you can download your favorite album for free? The internet is eventually going to demassify all other forms of media, since most everything is now available digitally.
   About 1/3 of Americans get their news from the internet too. The internet has in-depth stories like newspaper, or you could on YouTube and watch a news type show on there. The news on the internet is free (as long as you don't pay for an online newspaper subscription) and it's easier to get to too (just sit down in front of your computer).
   Internet also has made people very interconnected with social networking. Social networking can be a great way to keep in touch with old friends and family that lives far away, or to meet new people that share a common interest, but it can also be a not-so-good thing. Recently, people that are hiring for jobs have started checking out their potential employees social networking sites, and if they don't feel like you are a positive reflection on their company, or you aren't the kind of person they want working there, they won't hire you. Whatever you put on the internet will be there pretty much forever. Once you put it there it can be saved, retweeted, revined, reblogged, or whatever. You can delete it, but it probably isn't really going to be gone. Social networking has also made it so that there isn't really such a thing as a complete stranger anymore. You may not have met someone, but you could have heard of them through a mutual friend on Facebook, seen their picture on your friend's instagram, or seen something that was retweeted from them. It's actually pretty weird to me.
   The last thing I'm going to touch on is the lack of an underground culture in our society (something I find just a tad bit depressing to be honest). In the 60s there were the hippies, (the 70s were some awkward mix of hippie and punk and androgyny), in the 80s there were punks, in the 90s there were grungers, and what is there now? That's right. Nothing. There is no underground culture because everything is so easy to find on the internet. Even if I song isn't popular and doesn't get radio play it probably has a million hits on YouTube.
   The internet is mostly a great thing, I mean, what would we do without it? Book Research? ...ew.